EP1524540A1 - Image observation apparatus - Google Patents
Image observation apparatus Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP1524540A1 EP1524540A1 EP04024097A EP04024097A EP1524540A1 EP 1524540 A1 EP1524540 A1 EP 1524540A1 EP 04024097 A EP04024097 A EP 04024097A EP 04024097 A EP04024097 A EP 04024097A EP 1524540 A1 EP1524540 A1 EP 1524540A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- image
- image display
- display unit
- unit
- observation apparatus
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
- 230000003287 optical effect Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 43
- 238000003384 imaging method Methods 0.000 claims description 28
- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 claims description 15
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 4
- 230000008859 change Effects 0.000 abstract description 11
- 238000001444 catalytic combustion detection Methods 0.000 description 18
- 230000036544 posture Effects 0.000 description 12
- 210000001747 pupil Anatomy 0.000 description 6
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 4
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 4
- 239000011248 coating agent Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000000576 coating method Methods 0.000 description 3
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 3
- 238000001356 surgical procedure Methods 0.000 description 3
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 description 2
- 210000003128 head Anatomy 0.000 description 2
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000010485 coping Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000005484 gravity Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000004973 liquid crystal related substance Substances 0.000 description 1
- 210000005036 nerve Anatomy 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B7/00—Mountings, adjusting means, or light-tight connections, for optical elements
- G02B7/001—Counterbalanced structures, e.g. surgical microscopes
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16M—FRAMES, CASINGS OR BEDS OF ENGINES, MACHINES OR APPARATUS, NOT SPECIFIC TO ENGINES, MACHINES OR APPARATUS PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE; STANDS; SUPPORTS
- F16M11/00—Stands or trestles as supports for apparatus or articles placed thereon ; Stands for scientific apparatus such as gravitational force meters
- F16M11/02—Heads
- F16M11/04—Means for attachment of apparatus; Means allowing adjustment of the apparatus relatively to the stand
- F16M11/06—Means for attachment of apparatus; Means allowing adjustment of the apparatus relatively to the stand allowing pivoting
- F16M11/08—Means for attachment of apparatus; Means allowing adjustment of the apparatus relatively to the stand allowing pivoting around a vertical axis, e.g. panoramic heads
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16M—FRAMES, CASINGS OR BEDS OF ENGINES, MACHINES OR APPARATUS, NOT SPECIFIC TO ENGINES, MACHINES OR APPARATUS PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE; STANDS; SUPPORTS
- F16M11/00—Stands or trestles as supports for apparatus or articles placed thereon ; Stands for scientific apparatus such as gravitational force meters
- F16M11/20—Undercarriages with or without wheels
- F16M11/2007—Undercarriages with or without wheels comprising means allowing pivoting adjustment
- F16M11/2035—Undercarriages with or without wheels comprising means allowing pivoting adjustment in more than one direction
- F16M11/2057—Undercarriages with or without wheels comprising means allowing pivoting adjustment in more than one direction for tilting and rolling
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16M—FRAMES, CASINGS OR BEDS OF ENGINES, MACHINES OR APPARATUS, NOT SPECIFIC TO ENGINES, MACHINES OR APPARATUS PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE; STANDS; SUPPORTS
- F16M11/00—Stands or trestles as supports for apparatus or articles placed thereon ; Stands for scientific apparatus such as gravitational force meters
- F16M11/20—Undercarriages with or without wheels
- F16M11/2092—Undercarriages with or without wheels comprising means allowing depth adjustment, i.e. forward-backward translation of the head relatively to the undercarriage
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16M—FRAMES, CASINGS OR BEDS OF ENGINES, MACHINES OR APPARATUS, NOT SPECIFIC TO ENGINES, MACHINES OR APPARATUS PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE; STANDS; SUPPORTS
- F16M11/00—Stands or trestles as supports for apparatus or articles placed thereon ; Stands for scientific apparatus such as gravitational force meters
- F16M11/20—Undercarriages with or without wheels
- F16M11/24—Undercarriages with or without wheels changeable in height or length of legs, also for transport only, e.g. by means of tubes screwed into each other
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B21/00—Microscopes
- G02B21/0004—Microscopes specially adapted for specific applications
- G02B21/0012—Surgical microscopes
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16M—FRAMES, CASINGS OR BEDS OF ENGINES, MACHINES OR APPARATUS, NOT SPECIFIC TO ENGINES, MACHINES OR APPARATUS PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE; STANDS; SUPPORTS
- F16M2200/00—Details of stands or supports
- F16M2200/04—Balancing means
- F16M2200/041—Balancing means for balancing rotational movement of the head
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16M—FRAMES, CASINGS OR BEDS OF ENGINES, MACHINES OR APPARATUS, NOT SPECIFIC TO ENGINES, MACHINES OR APPARATUS PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE; STANDS; SUPPORTS
- F16M2200/00—Details of stands or supports
- F16M2200/04—Balancing means
- F16M2200/044—Balancing means for balancing rotational movement of the undercarriage
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16M—FRAMES, CASINGS OR BEDS OF ENGINES, MACHINES OR APPARATUS, NOT SPECIFIC TO ENGINES, MACHINES OR APPARATUS PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE; STANDS; SUPPORTS
- F16M2200/00—Details of stands or supports
- F16M2200/06—Arms
- F16M2200/063—Parallelogram arms
Definitions
- the present invention relates to an image observation apparatus.
- the present invention is particularly suitable for an image observation apparatus used for observing a minute operative portion in a surgical operation such as a cranical nerve surgery, an eye clinic surgery, and an orthopeclic surgery.
- an operation microscope that can three dimensionally magnify a minute operative portion has been used in a surgical operation for observing a magnified image of the operative portion.
- Such an operation microscope is configured as a so-called stereoscopic microscope, which has independent right and left observation light paths and a corresponding pair of right and left ocular lenses.
- An operator can observe a magnified image of the operative portion three dimensionally by looking into each of the ocular lens with the a corresponding eye.
- the electric image microscope converts an optical image into an electric image with an imaging element such as a CCD and displays it on a display part such as a monitor.
- an operation microscope disclosed in a publication of Japanese Patent No. 3032214 incorporates a pair of right and left CCDs in the lens barrel of the microscope. Electronic images taken by these CCDs can be observed with a separately provided finder or head mount display. Thereby, an operator can perform a three-dimensionally magnified observation in a more relaxed and comfortable position and posture, while keeping a wider working space because of a freer positioning feature of the lens barrel of the microscope.
- the CCDs are incorporated in the main body of the microscope and the LCD and a back light or the like are mounted on the main body as a display part for displaying images. Therefore, the main body of the microscope becomes inevitably larger and a working space for attending the operative portion by the operator becomes smaller. This may lead to a problem of a lower efficiency of the operation.
- the wider working space is secured by incorporating a CCD into the lens barrel and providing the finder or head mount display (hereinafter, referred to as a HMD) separately.
- a CCD finder or head mount display
- an arm holding the ocular lenses must be positioned according to the posture of the operator, and the operator must look into the ocular lenses. Therefore, the operator must keep his/her face in the fixed position to the ocular lenses of the finder during the magnified observation of the operative portion, this may cause much fatigue to the operator.
- the HMD In case of using the HMD, since the HMD always follows the eyes of the operator, he/she need not take unnatural postures for the observation. However, the operator must always wear the HMD having a certain amount of weight, thus he/she may feel much fatigue or pain.
- the operator repeats a direct observation in which the operative portion is directly observed with naked eyes and a magnified observation in which the microscope is used.
- a direct observation in which the operative portion is directly observed with naked eyes
- a magnified observation in which the microscope is used.
- the aim of this invention includes providing an improved image observation apparatus which is easy to handle and with which an operator can observe the objective area with a magnified image in a more relaxed and comfortable position and posture.
- An image observation apparatus of this invention comprises an inclined arm composed of a combination of at least two equivalent movement mechanisms, an image display unit that is attached at one end of the inclined arm, and an image projection unit attached to the inclined arm for projecting an image on the surface of the image display unit.
- an inclination center of the inclined arm is positioned substantially on the image display unit, and a projection optical axis of the image projection unit passes substantially through the inclination center.
- an image projection unit is moved in cooperation with these position and direction of the image display unit so that an optical positional relation between the image display unit and the image projection unit is maintained as in the initial status.
- the image projection unit displays the image accurately on the image display unit without interruption. Accordingly, by the simple operation of the positional and/or directional adjustment, a desired image observation becomes possible.
- FIG. 1 shows an image observation apparatus according to a first embodiment of the invention.
- An image display unit 10 is provided and fixed on a support mount 1 at a free position in a three dimensional space.
- the support mount 1 is composed of a combination of parallelogram links 14 and 20. These parallelogram links are equivalent movement mechanisms and the support mount 1 is an inclined arm, so that it can be said that two equivalent movement mechanisms are combined to configure the inclined arm.
- the image display unit 10 and the parallelogram links 14 and 20 will be described in detail later.
- an imaging unit 3 having an observation optical system is supported and fixed in the vicinity of an operative portion P by a hold arm 4 capable of being moved and adjusted.
- the image display unit 10 is mounted at the one end of a support arm 141 via a bearing 142.
- An electromagnetic brake (not shown) is incorporated in the bearing 142, and the bearing 142 can be rotated around a center axis Oa through the electromagnetic brake.
- the bearing 142 can release and fix the rotational operation of the image display unit 10 around the center axis Oa with the electromagnetic brake controlled via a control circuit (not shown) in cooperation with the operation of an input switch (not shown).
- two arms 143 and 144 are connected to the support arm 141 at substantially right angles, and these two arms are spaced with each other by a predetermined distance.
- One end of each of the two arms 143 and 144 are attached to the support arm 141 rotatably via bearings 145 and 146.
- an arm 147 is provided substantially in parallel with the support arm 141 and is attached rotatably via bearings 148 and 149 to arm 147.
- An electromagnetic brake (not shown) is incorporated in the bearing 148.
- the bearing 148 can rotate around a center axis Ob via this electromagnetic brake.
- the operation of the electromagnetic brake is controlled via the control circuit in cooperation with the operation of the input switch. Thereby, the bearing 148 can release and fix the deformation of the parallelogram link 14 in accordance with the rotation of the arm 143 around the center axis Ob (i.e. the incline operation of the support arm 141 around the axis Ob).
- An arm 201 which is a part of the parallelogram link 20, is arranged at the other end of the arm 144 substantially in parallel with the arm 147.
- One end of the arm 201 is connected to the arm 144 rotatably via a bearing 202.
- An arm 203 which is provided substantially in parallel with the arm 144, is attached to the arms 147 and 201 in a rotatalbe manner via the bearings 204 and 205 respectively.
- a counter weight 21 is attached near the other end of the arm 147. This counter weight 21 balances weights of the image display unit 10, the parallelogram links 14 and 20 around the axis Oc so that the operator may manipulate these parts with little force.
- An arm 206 is attached to the arm 203 in a rotatable manner around the center axis Oc via a bearing 207.
- This bearing 207 incorporates an electromagnetic brake (not shown) and the arm 206 can rotate around the center axis Oc via the electromagnetic brake.
- the bearing 207 can release and fix the rotational operation of the arm 203 around the center axis Oc with the electromagnetic brake controlled via the control circuit in cooperation with the operation of the input switch. Due to the rotation of the arm 203 around the center axis Oc, the image display unit 10, the parallelogram links 14 and 20, and the counter weight 21 also rotate around the center axis Oc.
- Two arms 208 and 209 are provided on the arm 206 substantially at right angles so that the arms 208 and 209 are separated with a predetermined distance.
- Each of the two arms 208 and 209 are attached at one end to the arm 206 in a rotatable manner via bearings 221 and 222.
- an arm 23 is provided substantially at right angles to the two arms 208 and 209, and the two arms 208 and 209 are rotatably coupled to the arm 23 via bearings 231 and 232.
- a parallelogram link 30 is configured.
- the bearing 231 incorporates an electromagnetic brake (not shown) , and the arm 209 and the arm 23 are rotatable with each other via the electromagnetic brake.
- the bearing 231 in cooperation with the operation of the input switch, the operation of the electromagnetic brake is controlled via the control circuit. Thereby, the bearing 231 can release and fix the deformation of the parallelogram link 30 (i.e. this deformation corresponds to the parallel movement operation of the image display 10 along the axis Oc).
- a bearing 31 is provided at a middle part of the arm 209.
- the bearing 31 is rotatably provided on a column 32 around the axis Od.
- the bearing 31 incorporates an electromagnetic brake (not shown), is rotatable via the electromagnetic brake.
- the bearing 31 can release and fix the rotational operation around the axis Od of the parallelogram link 30 via the control circuit in cooperation with the operation of the input switch.
- a counter weight 33 for canceling weights of heavy parts around the axis Od is provided at the one end of the arm 23.
- the column 32 is mounted on a base 35 via a bearing 34 in a rotatable manner around an axis Oe.
- An electromagnetic brake (not shown) is incorporated in this bearing 34 and the bearing 34 is rotatable via the electromagnetic brake.
- the bearing 34 can release and fix the rotational operation around the axis Oe via the control circuit in cooperation with the operation of the input switch.
- the image display unit 10 which is attached and connected to a support arm 141 of the parallelogram link 14 via a bearing 142, will be described.
- a display panel 40 configured with a Fresnel concave mirror panel is coupled to the support arm 141 rotatably around the center axis Oa via an arm 41.
- one end of the arm 42 is fixed with a predetermined inclined angle.
- a pair of right and left projectors 43L and 43R which is an image projection unit, is attached and fixed with a predetermined angle alpha.
- emitting optical axes PL and PR of the projectors 43L and 43R intersect with each other at a surface of the display panel 40, and this cross point is also a point where the center axis Oc intersects on the surface of the display panel 40.
- the light projected on the display panel 40 through the optical axes PL and PR from the projectors 43L and 43R is guided to a pair of right and left eyes ER and EL of the operator looking at the display panel 40 through incidence optical axes WR and WL.
- a housing 45 is attached to the hold arm 4 (refer to FIG. 1).
- An objective lens 46 which configures an observation optical system, is provided in the housing 45, and a pair of right and left variable magnification optical systems 47L and 47R is incorporated therewith opposing the objective lens 46.
- the magnification of the pair of right and left variable magnification optical systems 47L and 47R can be varied according to the operator's demands through the operation of an input unit (not shown).
- a pair of right and left imaging lenses 48L and 48R are provided facing the pair of right and left variable magnification optical systems 47L and 47R.
- a pair of right and left imaging elements (CCD) 49L and 49R is provided on the imaging points (focus points) of this pair of right and left image formation lenses 48L and 48R.
- a pair of right and left image generating circuits 50L and 50R are connected to the left and right CCD 49L and 49R, respectively.
- a pair of right and left projectors 43R and 43L are connected to the pair of left and right image generating circuits 50L and 50R, respectively.
- the pair of right and left image generating circuits 50L and 50R generates L and R image output signals on the basis of L (left) and R (right) electric signals inputted from CCD 49L and 49R.
- the image generating circuit 50L outputs an L image signal to the projector 43R
- the image generating circuit 50R outputs an R image signal to the projector 43L.
- the pair of right and left projectors 43R and 43L projects an image on the display panel 40 through respective emitting optical axes PL and PR and displays the image.
- FIG. 4 the right eye ER of an observer (an operator) D and the projector 43L corresponding to the right eye ER of an observer (an operator) D are only illustrated.
- the explanations with regard to the left eye EL of the observer (the operator) D and the projector 43R corresponding to the left eye EL of the observer (the operator) is omitted but reasoned by analogy.
- a mirror coating 402 is applied to the rear surface side of the Fresnel concave mirror 401, which has a positive optical power when viewed from the projector side. Therefore, when the observer (the operator) D sees the Fresnel concave mirror 401 at the concave surface side, his/her right eye ER corresponds to the projector 43L.
- the projector 43L includes an image display element 55L and an image projection optical system 56L with an exit pupil 59R, projects an image 57R displayed on the image display element 55L on the display panel 40 via the image projection optical system 56L, and displays an image 58R thereon. In this configuration, the display panel 40 projects the exit pupil 59R of the image projection optical system 56L on the right eye ER of the observer D by the effects of the Fresnel concave mirror 401.
- a reference numeral 62R shown in FIG. 4 corresponds to the exit pupil 59R of the image projection optical system 56L, the Fresnel concave mirror 401 of the display panel 40 projects the exit pupil 59R.
- the operator D determines the position of the imaging unit 3 to the operative portion p and fixes it by operating the hold arm 4.
- the operator operates the input switch, releases the electromagnetic brakes provided in respective bearings 142, 148, 207, 231, and 31 of the support mount 1, locates and fixes the display panel 40 at a desired position.
- the operator since the weights of the heavy parts including the display panel 40 are cancelled around each rotation axis with the counter weights 21 and 33, the operator may change the position of the display panel 40 without feeling the effects of the gravity.
- the light emitted from the operative portion P of the patient is imaged on the CCD 49L and 49R through the objective lens 46 of the imaging unit 3, the variable magnification optical systems 47L and 47R, and the imaging lenses 48L and 48R in a magnification required by the operator D, and converted into an electric signal. Then, on the basis of this electric signal, a pair of right and left observation images are generated by the image generating circuits 50L and 50R.
- the right observation image 57R is displayed on the image display element 55L provided in the left side projector 43L, projected on the display panel 40 by the image projection optical system 56L as a display image for the right eye 58R, and reflected toward the operator D by the mirror coating 402 of the display panel 40.
- the left observation image 57L of the operative portion P generated by the CCD 49L and the image generating circuit 50L and displayed by the image display element 55R, is projected on the display panel 40 by the projector 43R. Then, the left observation image 57L is introduced only to the left eye EL of the operator D as the observation image.
- the operator D carries out the three-dimensional observation of the operative portion P by observing the image having right and left parallax independently by the right and left eyes.
- the operator D changes his/her observation posture such as direction of a face slightly in accordance with the progress of the operation, he/she manipulates the support mount 1 to change the angle of the image display unit 10 and change the direction of the display panel 40.
- the display panel 40 is also located at a position 40' shown by a broken line.
- the display panel 40 is inclined at a center of the displayed image (the center point of the displayed image locates on the axis of the inclination).
- the pair of right and left projectors 43L and 43R are also inclined following the inclination of the display panel 40 since the pair of right and left projectors 43L and 43R are fixed as one unit with the display panel 40 via the arms 41 and 42 as described above. Thereby, even if the position of the display panel 40 is changed as described above, the optical relative position between the projectors 43L and 43R and the display panel 40 does not change at all and the initial orientation is maintained. Therefore, the operator D can continue the operation successively while observing the operative portion P.
- the image observation apparatus of this embodiment is configured so that the display panel 40 can be inclined around the center of the displayed image without changing positional relationships among the display panel 40 of the image display unit 10 and the projectors 43L and 43R.
- the inclined arm (the support mount 1) composed of a combination of at least two equivalent movement mechanisms (the parallelogram links 14 and 20)
- the parallelogram links 14 and 20 there can set a point of which inclination is only changed without movement of the spacious position (center of the inclination S).
- the center of this inclination is located on the display panel 40, only inclination of the display panel 40 can be changed independently, so that the inclination thereof can be easily adjusted.
- the emitting optical axis of the image projection unit (the projectors 43L and 43R) pass through the center S of the inclination, the display panel 40 is inclined around the image display. Therefore, even if the display panel 40 is inclined, it is not necessary to change the setting of the projectors.
- the display panel 40 can be instantly inclined in accordance with a change in the posture of the operator D, so that it is not necessary to change the setting of the image display unit 10 in accordance with a change in the posture of the operator D. Accordingly, the efficiency of the operation can be improved.
- the equivalent movement mechanism at the support mount 1 is configured with the parallelogram links 14 and 20, however, the invention is not limited to this specific example. It is also possible to configure the equivalent movement mechanism with a timing belt or a gear for example, and almost the same effect can be expected. In the case that the equivalent movement mechanism is configured with the timing belt and the gear, the arm can be made narrower as compared to the case that the equivalent movement mechanism is configured with the parallelogram links.
- FIGS. 6 and 7A-7C show an image observation apparatus according to the second embodiment of the invention.
- the same reference numerals are given to the same parts as FIGS. 1 to 5 that are described above, and the first embodiment should be referenced for the detailed explanations thereof.
- connection arm 70 is rotatably connected to the support arm 141 through a bearing 71.
- the display panel 72 is attached to the other end of this connection arm 70 so that the image display center S of the display panel 72, which configures the image display unit 10, coincides with the cross point of the rotational axis Oa of the bearing 71 and the rotational center axis Oc of the arm 203.
- an electromagnetic brake (not shown) is incorporated and the bearing 71 can rotate via this electromagnetic brake.
- This bearing 71 can release and fix the rotational operation of the image display unit 10 around the center axis Oa of the connection arm 70 via the control circuit in cooperation with the operation of the input switch.
- the pair of right and left projectors 43L and 43R are fixed to the support arm 141 via an arm 73 so that the emitting optical axes PL and PR intersect each other at the image display center S of the display panel 72.
- FIGS. 7A-7C show a structure of the display panel 72.
- FIG. 7A is a plain view of the display panel 72
- FIG. 7B is a cross sectional view thereof cut along line 7B-7B of FIG 7A
- FIG. 7C is a cross sectional view along line 7C-7C of FIG 7A.
- a Fresnel concave mirror 721 is provided at the side facing the projector, and a mirror coating 722 is applied to a rear surface side of this Fresnel concave mirror 721.
- the Fresnel concave mirror 721 is formed so that its center position coincides with the image projection center from the projectors 43L and 43R and its concave curved surface is formed as concentric circles.
- an operator D executes the operation of the operative portion P almost in the same manner as described in the first embodiment: locates the imaging unit 3 and the imaging display at desired positions, fixes them, and observes the operative portion three dimensionally.
- the operator operates the input switch and manipulates the parallelogram links 14 and 20 configuring the support mount 1, inclines the display panel 72 so that the inclination center axis passes through the image display center S.
- the operator D When the operator D intends to change his/her facing direction with respect to the operative portion P, for example when he/she changes the standing position with respect to the operative portion P, the operator D operates the input switch, releases the electromagnetic brake incorporated in the bearing 71 via the control circuit, rotates the display panel 72 around the center axis Oa of the support arm 141.
- the center of the Fresnel concave mirror 721 coincides with the rotational center axis Oa of the support arm 141, and the Fresnel concave mirror 721 is shaped in concentric circles, so that the optical positional relation of the display panel 72 and the projectors 43L and 43R is maintained as in the initial status. Therefore, without changing the setting of the image display unit 10, the operator D can continue the three dimensional image observation of the operative portion P without interruptions.
- the second embodiment is configured as follows: the cross point of the center axis Oc which is the axis of the inclination movement of the display panel 72 and the center axis Oa which is the rotation axis of the support arm 141 coincides with the image display center S of the display panel 72; and the image display center S is set at the center of the Fresnel concave mirror 721. According to this structure, even if the position of the operator D with respect to the operative portion P is changed, without changing setting of the image display unit 10, the direction of the display panel 72 can be changed, and thereby, the operation efficiency also can be improved.
- FIG. 8 shows an image observation apparatus according to the third embodiment of the invention.
- every structures except an image display unit 80 is configured approximately identical with the first embodiment, so that the same parts in FIG. 8 are given the same reference numerals as the first embodiment.
- the first embodiment should be referenced.
- the image display unit 80 is configured in such a manner that the display panel 40 is mounted on an image microscope 81, and this image microscope 81 is supported by a supporting arm 141 that is connected to the bearing 142.
- This image microscope 81 is configured approximately the same as the imaging unit 3 of the first embodiment.
- an objective lens, a pair of right and left variable magnification optical systems, a pair of right and left image formation lenses, and a pair of right and left imaging elements (CCD) are provided (not shown) in the image microscope 81.
- the microscope takes the light from the operative portion P with the objective lens and setting it into a desired magnification with the variable magnification optical systems, and forms an observation optical image on the CCD via the imaging lens.
- the CCD converts the imaged optical image into an electric signal and outputs the electric signal to the image generating circuit.
- This image generating circuit generates an image signal on the basis of the inputted electric signal and displays the image information on the basis of the image signal on the display panel 40 through projection.
- the operator D locates and fixes the image display unit 80 at a desired position, observes the magnified three dimensional image of the operative portion P taken by the image microscope 81 on the display panel 40, and processes the operative portion P.
- the operator D moves the image display unit 80, inclines the display panel 40, and rotates the display panel 40 around the center axis Oa. Therefore, he/she sets the display panel 40 in a preferable direction and carries out the operation.
- the image microscope 81 which is an image taking unit for taking magnified observation images of the operative portion P is moved and inclined with the display panel 40 as one set. Therefore, even if the operator sets the display panel 40 at any position and in any direction, the direction of the image displayed on the display panel 40 is always the same as that of the image of the operative portion observed directly by the operator D.
- the image observation apparatus is configured in such a manner that the image display unit 80 is integral with the display panel 40 and the image microscope 81.
- the light from the operative portion P is taken in by the image microscope 81 of the image display unit 80 to generate a magnified observation image, and the same image is directly displayed on the display panel 40.
- the magnified observation image of the operative portion P can be observed as an image such that the magnified observation image of the operative portion P is captured from the direction of the operator. Therefore, a real movement of the operator's hands upon processing the operative portion P agrees with movement of the operator's hands displayed on the observation image. As a result, natural operation processing becomes possible, and further, it is possible to improve the operation efficiency.
- a pair of right and left variable magnification optical systems is provided in the image microscope in order to perform the magnified observation of the operative portion P
- the invention is not limited to this configuration.
- miniaturization of the image microscope 81 can be promoted to make a wider operation processing space, and this adds a further advantage.
- the first and second embodiments it can be configured such that the position of the operator D is detected by a well known navigation system or the like, a driving unit such as a motor is provided at each joint of the hold arm 4 to hold the imaging unit 3, and an image correcting unit to automatically correct the position and the direction of the imaging unit 3 depending on the position of the operator D is provided. Then, it is possible to expect a more effective advantage.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Optics & Photonics (AREA)
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Surgery (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
- Microscoopes, Condenser (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-355459, filed October 15, 2003, the entire contents of the application are incorporated herein by reference.
- The present invention relates to an image observation apparatus. The present invention is particularly suitable for an image observation apparatus used for observing a minute operative portion in a surgical operation such as a cranical nerve surgery, an eye clinic surgery, and an orthopeclic surgery.
- Conventionally, an operation microscope that can three dimensionally magnify a minute operative portion has been used in a surgical operation for observing a magnified image of the operative portion. Such an operation microscope is configured as a so-called stereoscopic microscope, which has independent right and left observation light paths and a corresponding pair of right and left ocular lenses. An operator can observe a magnified image of the operative portion three dimensionally by looking into each of the ocular lens with the a corresponding eye.
- With the stereoscopic microscope, the operator is forced to look into the ocular lenses during the three dimensionally magnified observations. To cope with this problem, an electronic image microscope is proposed in order to ease the confinement of the position and posture during the observation thus allowing the observation in freer position and posture. The electric image microscope converts an optical image into an electric image with an imaging element such as a CCD and displays it on a display part such as a monitor.
- In the operation microscope disclosed in a publication of Japanese Patent No. 3209543, two imaging elements (hereinafter, referred to as CCDs) are respectively provided on imaging position of right and left observation light paths in a main body of the microscope. Images are taken as electric images with the CCDs and displayed on a liquid crystal display (hereinafter, referred to as a LCD monitor) provided on the main body of the microscope. Because of this configuration, an operator can observe the image in a more relaxed and comfortable posture.
- Further, an operation microscope disclosed in a publication of Japanese Patent No. 3032214 incorporates a pair of right and left CCDs in the lens barrel of the microscope. Electronic images taken by these CCDs can be observed with a separately provided finder or head mount display. Thereby, an operator can perform a three-dimensionally magnified observation in a more relaxed and comfortable position and posture, while keeping a wider working space because of a freer positioning feature of the lens barrel of the microscope.
- However, these prior arts have some problems.
- In the microscope disclosed in the publication of Japanese Patent No. 3209543, the CCDs are incorporated in the main body of the microscope and the LCD and a back light or the like are mounted on the main body as a display part for displaying images. Therefore, the main body of the microscope becomes inevitably larger and a working space for attending the operative portion by the operator becomes smaller. This may lead to a problem of a lower efficiency of the operation.
- In the microscope disclosed in the publication of Japanese Patent No. 3032214, the wider working space is secured by incorporating a CCD into the lens barrel and providing the finder or head mount display (hereinafter, referred to as a HMD) separately. However, in case of using the finder, an arm holding the ocular lenses must be positioned according to the posture of the operator, and the operator must look into the ocular lenses. Therefore, the operator must keep his/her face in the fixed position to the ocular lenses of the finder during the magnified observation of the operative portion, this may cause much fatigue to the operator.
- In case of using the HMD, since the HMD always follows the eyes of the operator, he/she need not take unnatural postures for the observation. However, the operator must always wear the HMD having a certain amount of weight, thus he/she may feel much fatigue or pain.
- In an operation, the operator repeats a direct observation in which the operative portion is directly observed with naked eyes and a magnified observation in which the microscope is used. When the HMD is used, since the observed image is always magnified, coping with an assistant who supports the operation and performing the operation becomes difficult, thus cause the problem of lowering the efficiency of the operation.
- This invention was made considering these situations. The aim of this invention includes providing an improved image observation apparatus which is easy to handle and with which an operator can observe the objective area with a magnified image in a more relaxed and comfortable position and posture.
- An image observation apparatus of this invention comprises an inclined arm composed of a combination of at least two equivalent movement mechanisms, an image display unit that is attached at one end of the inclined arm, and an image projection unit attached to the inclined arm for projecting an image on the surface of the image display unit. In the image observation apparatus, an inclination center of the inclined arm is positioned substantially on the image display unit, and a projection optical axis of the image projection unit passes substantially through the inclination center.
- According to the above described structure, when a position and a direction of the image display unit are moved and adjusted with an inclined arm in accordance with a posture of the operator or his/her direction to the operative portion, an image projection unit is moved in cooperation with these position and direction of the image display unit so that an optical positional relation between the image display unit and the image projection unit is maintained as in the initial status.
- Thereby, the image projection unit displays the image accurately on the image display unit without interruption. Accordingly, by the simple operation of the positional and/or directional adjustment, a desired image observation becomes possible.
- These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the apparatus and methods of the invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:
- FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a structure of an image observation apparatus according to a first embodiment of the invention,
- FIG. 2 is a layout drawing showing details of an image display unit shown in FIG. 1,
- FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a structure of an image generating unit for generating an observation image to be projected on an imaging unit and the image display unit shown in FIG. 1,
- FIG. 4 is a principle view explaining a principle of the image display unit shown in FIG. 1,
- FIG. 5 is a conceptual view explaining a state when an observation direction of the image display unit shown in FIG. 1 is changed,
- FIG. 6 is a conceptual view showing substantial parts of an image observation apparatus according to a second embodiment of the invention,
- FIGS. 7A-7C are detail drawings showing a structure of a display panel shown in FIG. 6, and
- FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a structure of an image observation apparatus according to a third embodiment of the invention.
-
- Preferred embodiments of the invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
- FIG. 1 shows an image observation apparatus according to a first embodiment of the invention. An
image display unit 10 is provided and fixed on a support mount 1 at a free position in a three dimensional space. The support mount 1 is composed of a combination ofparallelogram links image display unit 10 and theparallelogram links imaging unit 3 having an observation optical system is supported and fixed in the vicinity of an operative portion P by a hold arm 4 capable of being moved and adjusted. - In the
parallelogram link 14, theimage display unit 10 is mounted at the one end of asupport arm 141 via abearing 142. An electromagnetic brake (not shown) is incorporated in thebearing 142, and thebearing 142 can be rotated around a center axis Oa through the electromagnetic brake. Thebearing 142 can release and fix the rotational operation of theimage display unit 10 around the center axis Oa with the electromagnetic brake controlled via a control circuit (not shown) in cooperation with the operation of an input switch (not shown). - In addition, two
arms support arm 141 at substantially right angles, and these two arms are spaced with each other by a predetermined distance. One end of each of the twoarms support arm 141 rotatably viabearings arms arm 147 is provided substantially in parallel with thesupport arm 141 and is attached rotatably viabearings arm 147. An electromagnetic brake (not shown) is incorporated in thebearing 148. The bearing 148 can rotate around a center axis Ob via this electromagnetic brake. In thebearing 148, the operation of the electromagnetic brake is controlled via the control circuit in cooperation with the operation of the input switch. Thereby, the bearing 148 can release and fix the deformation of theparallelogram link 14 in accordance with the rotation of thearm 143 around the center axis Ob (i.e. the incline operation of thesupport arm 141 around the axis Ob). - An
arm 201, which is a part of theparallelogram link 20, is arranged at the other end of thearm 144 substantially in parallel with thearm 147. One end of thearm 201 is connected to thearm 144 rotatably via abearing 202. Anarm 203, which is provided substantially in parallel with thearm 144, is attached to thearms bearings counter weight 21 is attached near the other end of thearm 147. Thiscounter weight 21 balances weights of theimage display unit 10, the parallelogram links 14 and 20 around the axis Oc so that the operator may manipulate these parts with little force. - An
arm 206 is attached to thearm 203 in a rotatable manner around the center axis Oc via abearing 207. Thisbearing 207 incorporates an electromagnetic brake (not shown) and thearm 206 can rotate around the center axis Oc via the electromagnetic brake. The bearing 207 can release and fix the rotational operation of thearm 203 around the center axis Oc with the electromagnetic brake controlled via the control circuit in cooperation with the operation of the input switch. Due to the rotation of thearm 203 around the center axis Oc, theimage display unit 10, the parallelogram links 14 and 20, and thecounter weight 21 also rotate around the center axis Oc. - Two
arms arm 206 substantially at right angles so that thearms arms arm 206 in a rotatable manner viabearings arms arm 23 is provided substantially at right angles to the twoarms arms arm 23 viabearings parallelogram link 30 is configured. Thebearing 231 incorporates an electromagnetic brake (not shown) , and thearm 209 and thearm 23 are rotatable with each other via the electromagnetic brake. In thisbearing 231, in cooperation with the operation of the input switch, the operation of the electromagnetic brake is controlled via the control circuit. Thereby, the bearing 231 can release and fix the deformation of the parallelogram link 30 (i.e. this deformation corresponds to the parallel movement operation of theimage display 10 along the axis Oc). - A
bearing 31 is provided at a middle part of thearm 209. Thebearing 31 is rotatably provided on acolumn 32 around the axis Od. Thebearing 31 incorporates an electromagnetic brake (not shown), is rotatable via the electromagnetic brake. The bearing 31 can release and fix the rotational operation around the axis Od of theparallelogram link 30 via the control circuit in cooperation with the operation of the input switch. Acounter weight 33 for canceling weights of heavy parts around the axis Od is provided at the one end of thearm 23. - The
column 32 is mounted on abase 35 via abearing 34 in a rotatable manner around an axis Oe. An electromagnetic brake (not shown) is incorporated in thisbearing 34 and thebearing 34 is rotatable via the electromagnetic brake. The bearing 34 can release and fix the rotational operation around the axis Oe via the control circuit in cooperation with the operation of the input switch. - Next, with reference to FIG. 2, the
image display unit 10, which is attached and connected to asupport arm 141 of theparallelogram link 14 via abearing 142, will be described. In theimage display unit 10, adisplay panel 40 configured with a Fresnel concave mirror panel is coupled to thesupport arm 141 rotatably around the center axis Oa via anarm 41. At the middle part of thearm 41, one end of thearm 42 is fixed with a predetermined inclined angle. At the other end of thearm 42, a pair of right and leftprojectors projectors display panel 40, and this cross point is also a point where the center axis Oc intersects on the surface of thedisplay panel 40. - The light projected on the
display panel 40 through the optical axes PL and PR from theprojectors display panel 40 through incidence optical axes WR and WL. - As shown in FIG. 3, in the
imaging unit 3, ahousing 45 is attached to the hold arm 4 (refer to FIG. 1). Anobjective lens 46, which configures an observation optical system, is provided in thehousing 45, and a pair of right and left variable magnificationoptical systems objective lens 46. The magnification of the pair of right and left variable magnificationoptical systems - A pair of right and left
imaging lenses optical systems image formation lenses objective lens 46 is magnified with the variable magnificationoptical systems imaging lenses CCD - A pair of right and left
image generating circuits right CCD projectors image generating circuits image generating circuits CCD image generating circuit 50L outputs an L image signal to theprojector 43R, and theimage generating circuit 50R outputs an R image signal to theprojector 43L. Thereby, the pair of right and leftprojectors display panel 40 through respective emitting optical axes PL and PR and displays the image. - Now, the principle of the optical system of the
display panel 40 of theimage display unit 10 and theprojectors projector 43L corresponding to the right eye ER of an observer (an operator) D are only illustrated. The explanations with regard to the left eye EL of the observer (the operator) D and theprojector 43R corresponding to the left eye EL of the observer (the operator) is omitted but reasoned by analogy. - In the
display panel 40, amirror coating 402 is applied to the rear surface side of the Fresnelconcave mirror 401, which has a positive optical power when viewed from the projector side. Therefore, when the observer (the operator) D sees the Fresnelconcave mirror 401 at the concave surface side, his/her right eye ER corresponds to theprojector 43L. Theprojector 43L includes animage display element 55L and an image projectionoptical system 56L with anexit pupil 59R, projects animage 57R displayed on theimage display element 55L on thedisplay panel 40 via the image projectionoptical system 56L, and displays animage 58R thereon. In this configuration, thedisplay panel 40 projects theexit pupil 59R of the image projectionoptical system 56L on the right eye ER of the observer D by the effects of the Fresnelconcave mirror 401. - A
reference numeral 62R shown in FIG. 4 corresponds to theexit pupil 59R of the image projectionoptical system 56L, the Fresnelconcave mirror 401 of thedisplay panel 40 projects theexit pupil 59R. - In the above described configuration, at first, the operator D determines the position of the
imaging unit 3 to the operative portion p and fixes it by operating the hold arm 4. Next, the operator operates the input switch, releases the electromagnetic brakes provided inrespective bearings display panel 40 at a desired position. In this time, since the weights of the heavy parts including thedisplay panel 40 are cancelled around each rotation axis with thecounter weights display panel 40 without feeling the effects of the gravity. - The light emitted from the operative portion P of the patient is imaged on the
CCD objective lens 46 of theimaging unit 3, the variable magnificationoptical systems imaging lenses image generating circuits right observation image 57R is displayed on theimage display element 55L provided in theleft side projector 43L, projected on thedisplay panel 40 by the image projectionoptical system 56L as a display image for theright eye 58R, and reflected toward the operator D by themirror coating 402 of thedisplay panel 40. - The Fresnel
concave mirror 401 configuring thedisplay panel 40, with its lens effects, projects theexit pupil 59R of the image projectionoptical system 56L on theexit pupil 62R of the Fresnel concave mirror 401 (the right eye ER of the operator D) to overlap therewith. Theright observation image 57R of the operative portion P, generated by theCCD 49R and theimage generating circuit 50R and displayed by theimage display element 55L, is introduced to the right eye ER of the operator D as the observation image. - In the same way, the left observation image 57L of the operative portion P, generated by the
CCD 49L and theimage generating circuit 50L and displayed by the image display element 55R, is projected on thedisplay panel 40 by theprojector 43R. Then, the left observation image 57L is introduced only to the left eye EL of the operator D as the observation image. In this configuration, the operator D carries out the three-dimensional observation of the operative portion P by observing the image having right and left parallax independently by the right and left eyes. - When the operator D changes his/her observation posture such as direction of a face slightly in accordance with the progress of the operation, he/she manipulates the support mount 1 to change the angle of the
image display unit 10 and change the direction of thedisplay panel 40. In this process, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the parallelogram links 14 and 20 are deformed to the shape as shown by broken lines 14' and 20' , thedisplay panel 40 is also located at a position 40' shown by a broken line. Thedisplay panel 40 is inclined at a center of the displayed image (the center point of the displayed image locates on the axis of the inclination). This is because the cross point between the center axis Oc of thearm 203 and the center axis Oa of thesupport arm 141 is the point S where the emitting optical axes of the pair of right and leftprojectors display panel 40. - In addition, the pair of right and left
projectors display panel 40 since the pair of right and leftprojectors display panel 40 via thearms display panel 40 is changed as described above, the optical relative position between theprojectors display panel 40 does not change at all and the initial orientation is maintained. Therefore, the operator D can continue the operation successively while observing the operative portion P. - As described above, the image observation apparatus of this embodiment is configured so that the
display panel 40 can be inclined around the center of the displayed image without changing positional relationships among thedisplay panel 40 of theimage display unit 10 and theprojectors - In this way, in the case of inclining the inclined arm (the support mount 1) composed of a combination of at least two equivalent movement mechanisms (the parallelogram links 14 and 20) , there can set a point of which inclination is only changed without movement of the spacious position (center of the inclination S). According to the embodiment, since the center of this inclination is located on the
display panel 40, only inclination of thedisplay panel 40 can be changed independently, so that the inclination thereof can be easily adjusted. In addition, since the emitting optical axis of the image projection unit (theprojectors display panel 40 is inclined around the image display. Therefore, even if thedisplay panel 40 is inclined, it is not necessary to change the setting of the projectors. - Consequently, the
display panel 40 can be instantly inclined in accordance with a change in the posture of the operator D, so that it is not necessary to change the setting of theimage display unit 10 in accordance with a change in the posture of the operator D. Accordingly, the efficiency of the operation can be improved. - Further, since a cross point of the center axis Oa and the center axis Oc is on the
display panel 40, even if thedisplay panel 40 is rotated around the center axis Oa or around the center axis Oc, only the inclination of thedisplay panel 40 is changed and the position of thedisplay panel 40 is unchanged. In addition, the emitting optical axes of theprojectors display panel 40, and the intersection point is also the cross point of the two center axes (Oa and Oc). Therefore, the position of the image is not changed in spite of the rotational operations of the two axes (Oa and Oc). - In the first embodiment, the equivalent movement mechanism at the support mount 1 is configured with the parallelogram links 14 and 20, however, the invention is not limited to this specific example. It is also possible to configure the equivalent movement mechanism with a timing belt or a gear for example, and almost the same effect can be expected. In the case that the equivalent movement mechanism is configured with the timing belt and the gear, the arm can be made narrower as compared to the case that the equivalent movement mechanism is configured with the parallelogram links.
- Next, a second embodiment of the invention will be described below.
- FIGS. 6 and 7A-7C show an image observation apparatus according to the second embodiment of the invention. In FIGS. 6 and 7, the same reference numerals are given to the same parts as FIGS. 1 to 5 that are described above, and the first embodiment should be referenced for the detailed explanations thereof.
- In the second embodiment, one end of a
connection arm 70 is rotatably connected to thesupport arm 141 through abearing 71. Thedisplay panel 72 is attached to the other end of thisconnection arm 70 so that the image display center S of thedisplay panel 72, which configures theimage display unit 10, coincides with the cross point of the rotational axis Oa of thebearing 71 and the rotational center axis Oc of thearm 203. In thisbearing 71, an electromagnetic brake (not shown) is incorporated and thebearing 71 can rotate via this electromagnetic brake. This bearing 71 can release and fix the rotational operation of theimage display unit 10 around the center axis Oa of theconnection arm 70 via the control circuit in cooperation with the operation of the input switch. - The pair of right and left
projectors support arm 141 via anarm 73 so that the emitting optical axes PL and PR intersect each other at the image display center S of thedisplay panel 72. - FIGS. 7A-7C show a structure of the
display panel 72. FIG. 7A is a plain view of thedisplay panel 72, FIG. 7B is a cross sectional view thereof cut alongline 7B-7B of FIG 7A, and FIG. 7C is a cross sectional view alongline 7C-7C of FIG 7A. In thedisplay panel 72, a Fresnelconcave mirror 721 is provided at the side facing the projector, and amirror coating 722 is applied to a rear surface side of this Fresnelconcave mirror 721. The Fresnelconcave mirror 721 is formed so that its center position coincides with the image projection center from theprojectors - In the above structure, an operator D executes the operation of the operative portion P almost in the same manner as described in the first embodiment: locates the
imaging unit 3 and the imaging display at desired positions, fixes them, and observes the operative portion three dimensionally. - In the case of changing the display direction of the
display panel 72 of theimage display unit 10, as substantially same as the first embodiment, the operator operates the input switch and manipulates the parallelogram links 14 and 20 configuring the support mount 1, inclines thedisplay panel 72 so that the inclination center axis passes through the image display center S. - When the operator D intends to change his/her facing direction with respect to the operative portion P, for example when he/she changes the standing position with respect to the operative portion P, the operator D operates the input switch, releases the electromagnetic brake incorporated in the
bearing 71 via the control circuit, rotates thedisplay panel 72 around the center axis Oa of thesupport arm 141. In this instance, in thedisplay panel 72, the center of the Fresnelconcave mirror 721 coincides with the rotational center axis Oa of thesupport arm 141, and the Fresnelconcave mirror 721 is shaped in concentric circles, so that the optical positional relation of thedisplay panel 72 and theprojectors image display unit 10, the operator D can continue the three dimensional image observation of the operative portion P without interruptions. - As described above, the second embodiment is configured as follows: the cross point of the center axis Oc which is the axis of the inclination movement of the
display panel 72 and the center axis Oa which is the rotation axis of thesupport arm 141 coincides with the image display center S of thedisplay panel 72; and the image display center S is set at the center of the Fresnelconcave mirror 721. According to this structure, even if the position of the operator D with respect to the operative portion P is changed, without changing setting of theimage display unit 10, the direction of thedisplay panel 72 can be changed, and thereby, the operation efficiency also can be improved. - Next, a third embodiment according to the invention will be described below.
- FIG. 8 shows an image observation apparatus according to the third embodiment of the invention. In this third embodiment, every structures except an image display unit 80 is configured approximately identical with the first embodiment, so that the same parts in FIG. 8 are given the same reference numerals as the first embodiment. For the detail explanation thereof, the first embodiment should be referenced.
- The image display unit 80 is configured in such a manner that the
display panel 40 is mounted on animage microscope 81, and thisimage microscope 81 is supported by a supportingarm 141 that is connected to thebearing 142. - This
image microscope 81 is configured approximately the same as theimaging unit 3 of the first embodiment. For example, an objective lens, a pair of right and left variable magnification optical systems, a pair of right and left image formation lenses, and a pair of right and left imaging elements (CCD) are provided (not shown) in theimage microscope 81. The microscope takes the light from the operative portion P with the objective lens and setting it into a desired magnification with the variable magnification optical systems, and forms an observation optical image on the CCD via the imaging lens. The CCD converts the imaged optical image into an electric signal and outputs the electric signal to the image generating circuit. This image generating circuit generates an image signal on the basis of the inputted electric signal and displays the image information on the basis of the image signal on thedisplay panel 40 through projection. - In the above configuration, the operator D locates and fixes the image display unit 80 at a desired position, observes the magnified three dimensional image of the operative portion P taken by the
image microscope 81 on thedisplay panel 40, and processes the operative portion P. During the operation, in accordance with his/her change of posture, the operator D moves the image display unit 80, inclines thedisplay panel 40, and rotates thedisplay panel 40 around the center axis Oa. Therefore, he/she sets thedisplay panel 40 in a preferable direction and carries out the operation. Theimage microscope 81 which is an image taking unit for taking magnified observation images of the operative portion P is moved and inclined with thedisplay panel 40 as one set. Therefore, even if the operator sets thedisplay panel 40 at any position and in any direction, the direction of the image displayed on thedisplay panel 40 is always the same as that of the image of the operative portion observed directly by the operator D. - In the third embodiment, the image observation apparatus is configured in such a manner that the image display unit 80 is integral with the
display panel 40 and theimage microscope 81. The light from the operative portion P is taken in by theimage microscope 81 of the image display unit 80 to generate a magnified observation image, and the same image is directly displayed on thedisplay panel 40. - According to the third embodiment, the magnified observation image of the operative portion P can be observed as an image such that the magnified observation image of the operative portion P is captured from the direction of the operator. Therefore, a real movement of the operator's hands upon processing the operative portion P agrees with movement of the operator's hands displayed on the observation image. As a result, natural operation processing becomes possible, and further, it is possible to improve the operation efficiency.
- In the meantime, according to the third embodiment, a pair of right and left variable magnification optical systems is provided in the image microscope in order to perform the magnified observation of the operative portion P, however, the invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, it is also possible to magnify the image taken with the CCD by a so-called electronic zoom in the image generating circuit. Thereby, miniaturization of the
image microscope 81 can be promoted to make a wider operation processing space, and this adds a further advantage. - In addition, in the first and second embodiments, it can be configured such that the position of the operator D is detected by a well known navigation system or the like, a driving unit such as a motor is provided at each joint of the hold arm 4 to hold the
imaging unit 3, and an image correcting unit to automatically correct the position and the direction of theimaging unit 3 depending on the position of the operator D is provided. Then, it is possible to expect a more effective advantage. - While there has been shown and described what is considered to be preferred embodiments of the invention, it will, of course, be understood that various modifications and changes in form or detail could readily be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is therefore intended that the invention be not limited to the exact forms described and illustrated, but should be constructed to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.
Claims (20)
- An image observation apparatus comprising an inclined arm (1) having at least two movement mechanisms (14,20),
characterized in that the image observation apparatus further comprising:an image display unit (10, 80) provided at one end of the inclined arm (1) , wherein the image display unit (10, 80) is provided at a substantially center position (S) of an inclination of the inclined arm (1); andan image projection unit (43R, 43L) for projecting an observation image to the center position (S) along a projection axis (PR, PL) such that the projection optical axis (PR,PL)coincides with the center position (S). - The image observation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an imaging unit (3, 81) for imaging a magnified observation image of an operative portion (P), wherein the image projection unit (43R, 43L) projects the observation image on a surface of the image display unit (10, 80).
- The image observation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the imaging unit (81) is configured with the image display unit (80) as one unit.
- An image observation apparatus comprising an inclined arm (1) having at least two equivalent movement mechanisms (14, 20),
characterized in that the image observation apparatus further comprising:an image display unit (10, 80) that is provided at one end of the inclined arm (1); andan image projection unit (43R, 43L) for projecting an image on a surface of the image display unit (10, 80),
the image projection unit (43R, 43L) is associated with a portion of the inclined arm (1), a projection optical axis (PR, PL) of the image projection unit (43R, 43L) substantially coincides with the center (S) of the inclination of the inclined arm (1) on the image display unit (10, 80), and
the center (S) of the inclination of the inclined arm (1) is provided on the rotation axis (Oa, Oc) of the image display unit (10, 80) provided at the one end of the inclined arm (1). - The image observation apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising an imaging unit (3, 81) for imaging a magnified observation image of an operative portion (P),
wherein the image projection unit (43R, 43L) projects the observation image that is obtained by the imaging unit (3, 81) on the surface of the image display unit(10, 80). - The image observation apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the imaging unit (81) is configured with the image display unit (80) as one unit.
- The image observation apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising an image correcting unit (80) for making a direction of an image obtained by the imaging unit (81) correspond with a direction of a projected image projected on the image display unit (80) by the image projection unit (43R, 43L).
- The image observation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the movement mechanisms (14, 20) is configured with a parallelogram link.
- The image observation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the movement mechanisms (14, 20) is configured with a timing belt.
- The image observation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the image display unit (10, 80) is configured with a Fresnel concave mirror (401).
- The image observation apparatus according to claim 10, wherein an optical center position of the Fresnel concave mirror (401) substantially coincides with a projection center (S) position on the image display unit (10, 80) by the image projection unit (43R, 43L).
- The image observation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the image projection unit (43R, 43L) is configured with an image projector.
- An image observation apparatus comprising an inclined arm (1) including a combination of at least two movement mechanisms (14, 20),
characterized in that the image observation apparatus further comprising:an image display unit (10, 80) provided at one end of the inclined arm (1); andan image projection unit (43R, 43L) associated with the inclined arm (1) for projecting an image on the surface of the image display unit(10, 80); - The image observation apparatus according to claim 13, wherein
the inclined arm (1) includes at least one rotational axis (Oa, Oc) and the rotational axis (Oa, Oc) substantially through the inclination center (S). - An image observation apparatus comprising:an image display unit (10, 80);a support mount (1) for supporting the image display (10, 80) unit in a three dimensional space; andan image projector (43R, 43L) for projecting an image on the image display unit (10, 80),
the support mount (1) is configured so that the inclination and position of the image display unit (10, 80) can be independently adjusted, and a rotational axis for adjusting the inclination of the image display unit (10, 80) substantially passes through the image display unit (10, 80); and
an emitting optical axis (PR, PL) of the image projector (43R, 43L) substantially intersects with the rotational axis on the image display unit (10, 80). - The image observation apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the support mount (1) includes at least one rotational axis (Oa, Oc), and the rotational axis of the support mount substantially intersects with the rotational axis on the image display unit (10,80).
- The image observation apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the support mount (1) includes a movement mechanism (14, 20).
- The image observation apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the movement mechanism (14, 20) is a parallelogram link.
- The image observation apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the image display unit has a Fresnel surface (401), and a cross point (S) of the emitting optical axis (PR, PL) and the rotational axis (Oa, OC) on the image display unit substantially coincides with a center (S) of the Fresnel surface (401).
- A method for observing an image, comprising:supporting an image display member (10, 80) in a three dimensional space; andprojecting an image on the image display member (10, 80),
the inclination of the image display member (10, 80) is changed, without changing a position of the image display member (10, 80) in a three dimensional space, around an axis that passes a point (S) where the emitting optical axis (PR, PL) of the image projection intersects with the image display member (10, 80).
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2003355459A JP2005121820A (en) | 2003-10-15 | 2003-10-15 | Image observing device |
JP2003355459 | 2003-10-15 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP1524540A1 true EP1524540A1 (en) | 2005-04-20 |
Family
ID=34373576
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP04024097A Withdrawn EP1524540A1 (en) | 2003-10-15 | 2004-10-08 | Image observation apparatus |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20050083570A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP1524540A1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP2005121820A (en) |
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2006115656A2 (en) * | 2005-04-25 | 2006-11-02 | The Boeing Company | Method and apparatus for displaying a stereoscopic image |
Families Citing this family (17)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US7301510B2 (en) * | 2003-07-16 | 2007-11-27 | The Boeing Company | Methods and apparatus for reducing frame violations in a stereoscopic display |
US8079950B2 (en) * | 2005-09-29 | 2011-12-20 | Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. | Autofocus and/or autoscaling in telesurgery |
US7770860B1 (en) * | 2005-11-10 | 2010-08-10 | Modular Services Company | Medical service system on articulating arm with electromagnetic brakes |
US7971396B1 (en) | 2007-04-10 | 2011-07-05 | Modular Services Company | Modular medical services unit with secure console |
JP4776669B2 (en) * | 2008-09-25 | 2011-09-21 | 株式会社東芝 | Display device and moving body |
US10761343B2 (en) | 2018-02-05 | 2020-09-01 | Disney Enterprises, Inc. | Floating image display system |
US10657854B2 (en) | 2018-02-13 | 2020-05-19 | Disney Enterprises, Inc. | Electrical charger for a spinning device |
US11074838B2 (en) * | 2018-06-07 | 2021-07-27 | Disney Enterprises, Inc. | Image generation system including a spinning display |
US10542236B2 (en) | 2018-06-18 | 2020-01-21 | Disney Enterprises, Inc. | Image display system with visual filter |
US11048099B2 (en) | 2018-11-20 | 2021-06-29 | Disney Enterprises, Inc. | Communication system generating a floating image of a remote venue |
US10764564B2 (en) | 2018-12-18 | 2020-09-01 | Disney Enterprises Inc. | User tracking stereoscopic image display system |
US11164489B2 (en) | 2019-07-19 | 2021-11-02 | Disney Enterprises, Inc. | Rotational blur-free image generation |
US11106053B2 (en) | 2019-08-05 | 2021-08-31 | Disney Enterprises, Inc. | Image generation using a spinning display and blur screen |
US10969666B1 (en) | 2019-08-21 | 2021-04-06 | Disney Enterprises, Inc. | Methods and systems of displaying an image free of motion-blur using spinning projectors |
US11048108B2 (en) | 2019-09-17 | 2021-06-29 | Disney Enterprises, Inc. | Multi-perspective display of an image using illumination switching |
CN114933245A (en) * | 2022-05-23 | 2022-08-23 | 安徽送变电工程有限公司 | Safety boundary building system and method for electric power hoisting operation based on visual processing |
CN114644291B (en) * | 2022-05-23 | 2022-08-05 | 安徽送变电工程有限公司 | Safe boundary building device for electric power hoisting operation based on visual processing |
Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE19719349A1 (en) * | 1997-05-07 | 1998-07-02 | Siemens Ag | Medical examination or operating station |
US6179426B1 (en) * | 1999-03-03 | 2001-01-30 | 3M Innovative Properties Company | Integrated front projection system |
US6307674B1 (en) * | 1994-03-29 | 2001-10-23 | Lasersurge, Inc. | Video display system for locating a projected image adjacent a surgical field |
US6471363B2 (en) * | 1999-12-23 | 2002-10-29 | Hill-Rom Services, Inc. | Surgical theater system having light, monitors, and cameras |
US20030137731A1 (en) * | 2002-01-22 | 2003-07-24 | Susumu Takahashi | Three-dimensional observation apparatus and three-dimensional observation system |
Family Cites Families (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE4416178B4 (en) * | 1993-05-07 | 2007-11-08 | Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. | Surgical microscope |
US5825536A (en) * | 1994-09-12 | 1998-10-20 | Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. | Surgical microscope unit |
JP3905393B2 (en) * | 2002-02-07 | 2007-04-18 | オリンパス株式会社 | Surgical device |
JP3791907B2 (en) * | 2002-02-12 | 2006-06-28 | オリンパス株式会社 | Observation device |
JP4147054B2 (en) * | 2002-05-17 | 2008-09-10 | オリンパス株式会社 | Stereoscopic observation device |
JP2004177920A (en) * | 2002-08-09 | 2004-06-24 | Olympus Corp | Projection observation device |
-
2003
- 2003-10-15 JP JP2003355459A patent/JP2005121820A/en not_active Withdrawn
-
2004
- 2004-10-08 EP EP04024097A patent/EP1524540A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2004-10-15 US US10/966,372 patent/US20050083570A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US6307674B1 (en) * | 1994-03-29 | 2001-10-23 | Lasersurge, Inc. | Video display system for locating a projected image adjacent a surgical field |
DE19719349A1 (en) * | 1997-05-07 | 1998-07-02 | Siemens Ag | Medical examination or operating station |
US6179426B1 (en) * | 1999-03-03 | 2001-01-30 | 3M Innovative Properties Company | Integrated front projection system |
US6471363B2 (en) * | 1999-12-23 | 2002-10-29 | Hill-Rom Services, Inc. | Surgical theater system having light, monitors, and cameras |
US20030137731A1 (en) * | 2002-01-22 | 2003-07-24 | Susumu Takahashi | Three-dimensional observation apparatus and three-dimensional observation system |
Non-Patent Citations (1)
Title |
---|
SCHWALD B ET AL: "A flexible tracking concept applied to medical scenarios using an AR window", PROCEEDINGS OF THE IEEE AND ACM INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON MIXED AND AUGMENTED REALITY IEEE COMPUT. SOC LOS ALAMITOS, CA, USA, 30 September 2002 (2002-09-30), pages 261 - 262, XP010620964, ISBN: 0-7695-1781-1 * |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2006115656A2 (en) * | 2005-04-25 | 2006-11-02 | The Boeing Company | Method and apparatus for displaying a stereoscopic image |
WO2006115656A3 (en) * | 2005-04-25 | 2007-03-22 | Boeing Co | Method and apparatus for displaying a stereoscopic image |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
JP2005121820A (en) | 2005-05-12 |
US20050083570A1 (en) | 2005-04-21 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
EP1524540A1 (en) | Image observation apparatus | |
US7768702B2 (en) | Medical stereo observation system | |
TWI534476B (en) | Head-mounted display | |
JP6521982B2 (en) | Surgical visualization system and display | |
US6985765B2 (en) | Three-dimensional observation apparatus and method of three-dimensional observation | |
JP4245750B2 (en) | Stereoscopic observation device | |
US20040263613A1 (en) | Stereo-observation system | |
JP5870162B2 (en) | Imaging system | |
JPH0821975A (en) | Head-mounted type video display system | |
JP3900578B2 (en) | Follow-up virtual image display system | |
JP4383188B2 (en) | Stereoscopic observation system | |
JP4674094B2 (en) | Stereoscopic observation device | |
JP4455419B2 (en) | Stereoscopic image observation device for surgery | |
JPH0970406A (en) | Observation device for operation | |
JP5390865B2 (en) | Stereo imaging device | |
JP2006053321A (en) | Projection observation device | |
JP2005087249A (en) | Retainer and observation device | |
JP2005292452A (en) | Image observing device and adjusting method of image observing position | |
JP3709921B2 (en) | Image providing method and image providing apparatus for patients with eye diseases | |
JP3590425B2 (en) | Stereoscopic rigid endoscope | |
JP3429529B2 (en) | Surgical microscope | |
JPH07113959A (en) | Stereomicroscope | |
JP2006195058A (en) | Observation apparatus | |
WO2021182230A1 (en) | Slit lamp microscope | |
JP2017106994A (en) | Surgical stereoscopic observation device |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
PUAI | Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012 |
|
AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: A1 Designated state(s): AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HU IE IT LI LU MC NL PL PT RO SE SI SK TR |
|
AX | Request for extension of the european patent |
Extension state: AL HR LT LV MK |
|
17P | Request for examination filed |
Effective date: 20050519 |
|
AKX | Designation fees paid |
Designated state(s): AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HU IE IT LI LU MC NL PL PT RO SE SI SK TR |
|
17Q | First examination report despatched |
Effective date: 20051201 |
|
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: THE APPLICATION IS DEEMED TO BE WITHDRAWN |
|
18D | Application deemed to be withdrawn |
Effective date: 20090324 |